Piastri's commanding speed secures FP3 lead at Bahrain Grand Prix
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Oscar Piastri showcased exceptional speed during the third and final practice session for the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading the field with a commanding margin of over half a second ahead of Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc secured third position.
The scorching and sunny conditions in Sakhir, with air temperatures soaring to 33 degrees Celsius, provided a challenging environment as drivers hit the track at 1530 local time. This was their final chance to fine-tune their cars ahead of Qualifying, scheduled for later on Saturday.
Initially, the track saw minimal action, with only Ollie Bearman venturing out on the hard tire for Haas. Meanwhile, drivers such as Norris and Max Verstappen were spotted conversing with their teams in the pits.
Bearman, along with his teammate Esteban Ocon, soon found company on the circuit as the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, equipped with the soft compound, joined the fray. Bearman reported significant differences in grip between day and night sessions, echoing Friday's FP1 challenges.
While most opted for soft or hard tires for their initial runs, Alpine chose the medium tire. However, it was Piastri on a soft-shod run who set the early pace with a lap time of 1:33.324, leading Norris by four-tenths of a second and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin in third.
Verstappen aborted his flying lap after running wide and headed to the pits for adjustments to his Red Bull. George Russell joined the action with 30 minutes remaining, seemingly waiting for cooler conditions.
Nico Hulkenberg encountered trouble, halting his Kick Sauber at Turn 8 due to anti-stall, triggering yellow flags and a brief Virtual Safety Car. As green flags were reintroduced, Verstappen moved up to second, despite another wide moment.
Leclerc faced an unusual issue when a wing mirror flew off his Ferrari, while Liam Lawson expressed frustration over being overtaken by Russell, calling the move "so annoying." Russell brought out yellow flags briefly after a spin at Turn 10 and described the grip as the "least amount" he had ever experienced in an F1 car.
As the session neared its end, rapid flying laps altered the timesheets. Ultimately, Piastri cemented his dominance with a remarkable 1:31.646. Norris trailed by 0.668 seconds in second place, with Leclerc being the only other driver within a second of Piastri.
Russell and Kimi Antonelli positioned themselves fourth and fifth for Mercedes, respectively. Pierre Gasly delivered an impressive sixth-place for Alpine, followed by Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar, Verstappen, Williams' Carlos Sainz, and Hamilton rounding out the top 10.
Ocon led the Haas effort in P11, followed by Jack Doohan (Alpine), Lawson, Alonso, and Alex Albon (Williams). Bearman took P16, ahead of Aston Martin's Lance Stroll and Bortoleto in P17 and P18. Hulkenberg was sidelined in P19, and Yuki Tsunoda concluded the standings for Red Bull in 20th place.
As FP3 concludes, the drivers and teams will conduct final debriefs before the critical Qualifying session at 1900 local time.
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